Trump refuses to endorse his own former attorney general for Senate

Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions can’t count on Trump’s endorsement if he runs for his old Senate seat next year.

Talking with The Hill Thursday, Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL) said he spoke with Trump about Sessions’ running for the seat he vacated to become U.S. attorney general. According to Shelby, Trump was less than supportive. 

“I talked to the president about it to … about if Sessions ran, he was not encouraging,” Shelby said. “How do I say it? He was not on board.” When pressed about why Trump wasn’t supportive, Shelby declined to specify. 

Trump’s refusal to endorse Sessions may not be surprising to some. The two have had beef ever since Sessions recused himself from the Russian investigation in 2017, which eventually led to the appointment of special counsel Robert Mueller. 

Following the recusal, Trump publicly condemned and bullied Sessions for over a year, going so far as to say“I don’t have an Attorney General” and claim that “a lot of people” asked him to fire Sessions. 

And it’s not new for Trump to refuse to endorse the people who have been most loyal to him. Recently, he even refused to say he’d support his vice president, Mike Pence, if he ran for president in 2024.

Despite Trump’s belittling, Sessions implemented his boss’ racist policies, including the separation of children from their parents at the border, the Muslim ban, suppressing minority votes and denying asylum to victims of domestic violence. Sessions was forced out of the department in November 2018, and it’s clear he and Trump are no longer friends.

If Sessions decides to jump into the race without Trump’s blessing he has stiff competition. Roy Moore, the alleged pedophile strongly endorsed by Trump in 2017, is already in the race. 

It’s not new for Trump to refuse to endorse the people who have been most loyal to him. Recently, he even refused to say he’d support his vice president, Mike Pence, if he ran for president in 2024.

It’s clear loyalty is a one-way street with Trump.

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.